Not Alone
by DarkLuminescence
Summary: When Clarke and Bellamy attempt to outrun several grounders during the winter, they must cross a frozen river that isn't as strong as it looks.


The air was crisp, neither Clarke nor Bellamy could fell the tips of their fingers. What was suppose to be a quick venture, turned into yet another struggle to survive. They had been spotted by several grounders. Clarke had grabbed hold of Bellamy's wrist, pulling him into a run. What made their getaway much harder than they were use to, was the fact that the ground was now covered in snow and ice, two things they had absolutely no experience with. When they had run for what felt like a good, strong, hour, they were stopped by one of the larger rivers they had come across yet. The surface was a thick layer of ice, and after tossing the largest rock they could pick up on top, Clarke had suggested they try to walk across it.

"You sure about this?" Bellamy's foot inched toward the ice. Clarke scanned every inch of the river, took in what she could of their surroundings and shook her head.

"No, but what choice do we have? The grounders could still be behind us. We have to act fast." Without much thought in the gesture, she reached out and squeezed his hand. It was colder than her own, and he took comfort in the slight warmth her body offered.

"Alright. One foot at a time, Princess." He smirked, tilting his head and motioning toward the ice. Clarke swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. She was nervous. Not because the ice could break, but because the moment they stepped on top the river, they would be in a much more vulnerable situation. There was nothing to hide behind out there.

She took a step and then another and then one more before almost losing her balance. She wasn't use to such a slippery surface. She let out a light laugh. If Bellamy hadn't reached out to support her, he probably wouldn't have heard it. When she met his gaze for a moment, both her cheeks and nose were red. Due mostly to the weather, but also slightly from her own embarrassment. If one of them had to slip, she'd hope it would be Bellamy first. There's no way in hell he could still look good falling over. Her eyes dropped to his lips. (Well, maybe she wouldn't be that surprised if he did.)

"You're staring."

Clarke took a step back and Bellamy's hand let go of her arm.

"I was not." She turned away so she didn't have to look at him and when he chuckled she wanted to punch him.

"You definitely were."

"You know, you really have to get over yourself, Bellamy."

"Hey— hey, I get it. I've got a really awesome face and a pretty sweet body. I won't hold it against you… unless you ask me to, that is."

Clarke could practically feel her eyes roll inside her head. She was getting the hang of walking without almost falling, so she was a good distance in front of him.

"Oh my god, I h— "

_Crack. _

It became clear pretty quickly that here on Earth, things could go from bad to worse within seconds. One moment Bellamy was smiling, staring into the face of one of the few people who he really, really, gave a damn about and the next, she was gone, disappearing below ice and water.

_"Clarke!" _Her name ripped through his throat. He lunged forward, slipping on the ice and tumbling over. He crawled the rest of the way to where the ice had broke. He looked into the water, but he couldn't see her, he couldn't hear her, but he also knew he would never leave her. Taking in a deep breath, he gave himself exactly five seconds to mentally prepare for what he was about to do. Then, when those five seconds were over, he jumped into the water and went under.

If anyone had been nearby at the time (the grounders had given up the chase long ago) then they would know that Bellamy and Clarke were underwater, at most, three minutes. For them, it felt much, much longer. The moment the two of them reached the surface, Bellamy pushed Clarke upward, until half of her body was out of the water, and then he climbed out, picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to the shore. The second he felt sturdy ground beneath his feet, he sat down, pulling her closer to him, trying to stop her from shaking.

"I've got you…" He whispered, rubbing her hands with his own. She had been under the water nearly a minute longer than he had, and it was obvious she was in worse condition. He peeled pieces of wet hair way from her face as she continued to cough up water and when she could finally breathe again she lifted her head so she could look up at him.

"Hate you." She mumbled. "That's— that's what I was going to say."

"I know." He laughed lightly. "It might not be obvious in this exact moment, but I uh— I hate you too."

She gifted him with a lovely smile before he let his eyes fall shut.

Twenty minutes later, Lincoln, Octavia, Miller and Raven found the two of them, wrapped in each other's arms. The four of them did their best to get them back to camp as quickly as possible.

"I'm fine." Bellamy's voice shook, as Octavia looked him over. "Take care of Clarke."

"We need to take care of _both _of you, Bell." Octavia kept her voice steady, but she was scared. The last person in the world she could lose was her brother. She looked toward the rest of the group. "What do we do?"

"I think I read somewhere that removing the wet clothes, and getting body heat from someone else, while under a blanket of some sort, is a good way to warm up quickly." Monty bit his bottom lip nervously.

Raven looked Bellamy in the eye. "You heard him. Strip. Then you'll get under a blanket with Clarke, so the two of you can warm one another up."

Bellamy's head was fuzzy, but he did what he was told, his heart even picking up a little at the idea of being so close to Clarke with hardly any clothes on. Octavia and Raven helped Clarke undress, leaving her bra and underwear on and then covered her with the blanket. Seconds later, Bellamy slid underneath it, in nothing but his boxers. Pulling Clarke toward him, he allowed her to rest her head on his chest as her rubbed her arms with his hands, trying his hardest to warm the both of them up.

Suddenly everyone in the room who wasn't Clarke or Bellamy felt as if they were intruding on a moment they shouldn't be witnessing.

"We'll be outside if you need us." Octavia said suddenly, everyone awkwardly mumbling in agreement before leaving the tent.

For a moment, the only thing Clarke could hear was the sound of Bellamy's heart beating against her cheek. For a moment, the only thing Clarke could feel was Bellamy's hands as he attempted to keep her warm.

She felt safe and when a memory of something he said flickered inside her mind she giggled. It was an involuntary giggle that only grew when Bellamy arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"What?" He asked, his lips curved into a smile despite not knowing what she found so funny. Just seeing her happy after what had happened, made him happy. It was the strangest thing, something he had only ever experienced with his sister and mother.

"You're… holding… your body against me." She brought her hand to her mouth as more laughter vibrated through her entire body.

"I'm a man of my word."

"I never actually asked you to, though."

"You didn't have to. It was all over your face."

"It was not!" She smacked his arm. He laughed and they stayed like that for a long time. When Bellamy finally stood up, Clarke's face dropped, her body already missing the warmth he provided. She stood as well, picking through Bellamy's clothes and throwing on one of his shirts.

"This will have to do until I can get my own clothes. Don't worry. I'll give it back."

Bellamy was buckling his belt when he looked over at her.

_Holy fuck._

His shirt looked at least twenty times better on her than it did on him, if not more. He didn't want anyone else to have the privilege of seeing her in it, besides him.

"Hey, I uh, I can go and grab some of your clothes and bring them back here so you don't have to walk through the camp in nothing but my shirt."

"It's fine. I really don't mind." She pulled her hair back into a pony tail.

"People might talk." His tongue flicked against his bottom lip.

She arched an eyebrow.

"I think people are already talking. We could have died today, Bellamy. You saved my life. Those are probably going to be the only things on people's minds right now."

He nodded and then did something he never expected he would do.

He hugged her, one hand cradling the back of her head, and his other resting against her back. She relaxed into it, her own arms wrapping around him.

"I know you know this by now but… I couldn't do this without you." His voice was quiet.

"You shouldn't have jumped in after me." Her breath was hot against his neck. "It was stupid. Like, really, really stupid. Losing one of us would be bad for the group, but losing both of us? I mean, you must not have been thinking at all."

"Clarke—"

"I'm not done." She lifted her head to look up at him. "You shouldn't have done it, but you did. You risked your life for me. You've done it before, and at this point, I honestly believe you'd do it again. Thank you. _Thank you." _

And then she kissed him. It was soft and slow and as her fingers ran through his hair, a sudden heat engulfed him. He pulled her closer, not wanting her to stop, not wanting her to regret it already. She didn't. Even when they separated, both breathing heavily, his shirt scrunched up beneath her tight grip, his eyes staring into her own, she didn't label it as a mistake. She just wanted more.

"You're not alone here, Bellamy." She ran her fingers down his cheek before placing another kiss on his mouth. "I just want you to know that." She smiled, and picked up her wet clothes.

"I'll see you in a few." She said over her shoulder as she left his tent.

_Not alone… _He repeated in his head. It was a good feeling.


End file.
